Football with a twist of rich Euro culture

IF you had to pick some of the world's most beautiful cities to host the UEFA Euro 2008 soccer tournament, you could hardly do better than look to Austria and Switzerland.

One of the planet's largest sporting events, UEFA Euro 2008 will kick off on June 7 in the Swiss city of Basel, with 16 national teams competing for a spot in the final in the Austrian capital, Vienna, on 29 June.

A million visitors are expected to descend on the eight host cities (four each in Austria and Switzerland) not just for the soccer but for festival ambience as well.

During the championship, on-pitch shows will entertain the crowds for up to three hours prior to match kick-offs, turning the whole experience into more than just a simple soccer game.

Each host city will also have a designated Fan Mile (and sometimes several) running through the city centre where fans can gather to celebrate after matches. In short, the atmosphere is likely to be terrific throughout Austria and Switzerland this June.

In Vienna, for example, giant screens will be set up in the square in front of the historic Town Hall.

Just a penalty-kick away from the soccer stadium, the city's largest amusement park offers roller coaster rides and singalongs in beer halls.

And Europe's largest outdoor festival, the Donauinsel, just happens to fall on the match-free weekend of June 13-15, featuring concerts and parties.

Over in Basel, the Fan Mile will run for more than 3km through the city, while an "alternative" 8000-seat stadium will show big-screen matches and live entertainment.

The cathedral square and banks of the Rhine will also be public-viewing zones with concerts on non-match days.

In Switzerland, it isn't only the four host cities that are getting into the spirit of UEFA Euro 2008: 16 non-host towns will also feature "stadiums" with giant video walls showing matches.

Food and drink, cultural events and spot prizes will liven up the occasions, which are expected to attract football teams, fans, families and tourists alike.

Of course, considering the host cities are also some of the most historic in central Europe, visitors will be able to enjoy sightseeing, dining and culture as well as UEFA Euro 2008.

Take Vienna: full of imperial glamour, baroque glory, parks and pastries, it must be one of the world's most enchanting cities. In the streets of the old town, buskers entertain cafe crowds. At the Hofburg Palace, the white horses of the Spanish Riding School waltz under baroque ceilings.

You can also soak up rich Vienna's musical heritage with concerts and visits to the houses of such famous composers as Strauss, Beethoven and Haydn.

For after-match celebrations, Vienna's hip place is the MuseumsQuartier, where bar patrons kick back on outsize deck chairs in the open-air bars.

Two other Austrian host cities rival Vienna in the beauty and history stakes.

Salzburg is surrounded by glorious alpine scenery, and its entire old town is listed as a World Heritage site. There will be a 60sqm video wall in the old town square for match screenings. For nightlife, head to the American cocktail lounges and Irish pubs of the Rudolfskai.

Innsbruck also has an imperial Hapsburg glamour, tempered with the energy of a university town and the influence of nearby Italy.

Locals sit at cafes under bright parasols, forking up strudel and cream cake. Above, the buildings of the old town ooze baroque angels in pink and blue.

Downtown Maria-Teresien-Strasse will be the official Fan Mile, and beyond, the mountains beckon from every side. Getting into them is as simple as hopping on the funicular railway from the city centre.

Innsbruck has hosted the Winter Olympics twice and is renowned for its spectacular ski jump, which is well worth a visit for its eagle-nest restaurant, perched high above Innsbruck.

This will also be a spectacular setting as an alternative big-screen stadium for all those extra soccer enthusiasts.

Austria's fourth host city, Klagenfurt, isn't quite as well known, but is certainly used to hosting sporting events, including the annual beach volleyball Grand Slam and Iron Man races.

The 800-year-old town on a lakeshore has a delightful Renaissance centre crammed with inns and restaurants, likely to be buzzing during the soccer event, especially along the Fan Mile.

In neighbouring Switzerland, it's Basel that is probably the least known host town among Australians. Actually Switzerland's largest city, Basel stands on the Rhine River at the meeting place of Switzerland, France and Germany.

It boasts the oldest university in the country and an active cultural life: there are no less than 30 museums and dozens of theatres.

Further south, the Swiss capital, Bern, rivals Salzburg as a World Heritage old town. The stately city centre, with its views to the Alps in the distance, is particularly admired for its old shopping arcades, medieval fountains and fine cathedral.

Worth a particular visit is the Zentrum Paul Klee, which houses the world's largest collection of the artist's works in a modernist building that proves Bern isn't just resting on its historical laurels.

The final host cities, Geneva and Zurich, might speak different languages (French and German) but have quite a few similarities: lakeshore settings with views to the mountains and a small-town charm coupled with all the advantages of a big city.

Both cities are famed for their banking, yet have thrown off their previously stuffy images. Indeed, these days Zurich is being touted as the new Berlin for its experimental creativity, trendy bars and gloriously refreshing art galleries.

Zurich's stadium is apparently modelled on a giant mussel, rather eccentrically for a city nowhere near the sea.

In both cities, wandering the lakeside promenades is the best way to relax and appreciate the scenic settings. One of Zurich's quays will be hosting a Fan Mile.

By the lake in Geneva, admire the Jet d'Eau, its famous symbol: a fountain soaring to a height of 150m.

Nearby lie the manicured lawns and rose gardens of the Parc des Granges, full of scented flowers and towering cedar trees.

The Europeans have certainly picked some of the most beautiful and elegant cities in Europe to host their soccer championship. But perhaps fans won't be spending too much time smelling the roses: after all, Fan Miles await.